Twenty years back, if you would have asked people about one thing from sci-fi movies that would turn into reality by 2020, I’m sure most flying cars would have been the most common answer. But here we are in 2020 and we don’t have a fully-functioning flying car yet. What we have witnessed lately is that the idea of manned multi-rotor crafts is slowly taking over the concept of flying cars. Most of the flying car concepts we’ve seen over the last few years have all had the same design philosophy. However, a Slovakian company has stuck to the good old-fashioned flying car design which transforms from a road car to a flying craft. The company called KleinVision recently showcased the fifth generation flying car concept called AirCar (V5) and announced that it successfully completed two 1,500ft test flights at Piestany Airport in Slovakia.
Designed by the company’s founder Professor Stefan Klein, the flying car looks like a sports car in its road mode and at the touch of a button transforms into an aircraft in less than 3 minutes. According to the company, the AirCar is “useful for leisure and self-driving journeys, and also as a commercial taxi service, the dual-mode transformation vehicle can go from driving to flying mode with the click of a button.” The two-seater flying car weighs 1100kg (a little more than 2400lb) and can carry an additional load of 200kg (440lb) per flight. It is powered by a 1.6-liter BMW engine that produces 140hp and has an estimated travel range of 621 miles. Professor Klein says it requires a runway of at least 300m to get from ground to sky and can reach speeds of up to 124mph. “The key flight parameters confirmed all theoretical concepts and calculations that the development of the AirCar was based on. Following the completion of all required flight tests in compliance with EASA regulations, we will deliver a model with a certified ADEPT, 300HP engine within the next 6 next months,” said Professor Stefan Klein, Klein Vision’s CTO and test pilot. “The good news is, we already have a buyer,” Professor Klein added.
[Via: Dailymail]
